As the 2012-2013 school year comes to a close, so do the collegiate athletic careers of 65 seniors that have participated in UNC Wilmington varsity-level sports programs this past year. These athletes comprise approximately 16% of UNCW’s varsity-level sports teams. This article is dedicated to their contributions and achievements while donning a Seahawk uniform.

Baseball

Earning CAA All-Rookie honors his freshman year, Michael Bass has become a stalwart for the UNCW baseball team the past four years, currently ranking fifth in school history in stolen bases. In his second season since transferring from Pitt Community College, Tyler Molinaro played a key role in the “Omahawks” winning the CAA title last year, leading the conference with 16 homes runs in 2012. Hunter Ridge has firmly entrenched his name in the UNCW record books, becoming the baseball program’s all-time hits leader this season, currently with 275. A former walk-on, Justin Livengood‘s pitching helped the Seahawks to the conference title last year when he pitched a scoreless 2.1 innings of baseball against Delaware in the title winning game. The tallest player on the squad by six inches, 6’10” Jack Lane holds a career 4.76 ERA on the mound.

Men’s Basketball

Maybe the most recognizable name in UNCW sports in the past two years, Keith Rendleman ends a brilliant career in a Seahawk uniform with the closing of this year. Rendleman finished his UNCW career with many program records to his name, including ranking first in rebounding and blocked shots, fourth in points, and fifth in steals. Rendleman also earned First-Team All-CAA honors for the second straight year this season, cementing himself as one of the greatest Seahawk basketball players of all time.

Women’s Basketball

Since transferring as a tandem from Pensacola Junior College their junior years, Karneshia Garrett and Tawanna Lee have become the leaders for the women’s basketball team. Garrett has led the squad in rebounding the past two seasons, while also becoming the team’s leading scorer this year. Meanwhile, Lee started every game she played in last year and finished second on the squad in three-point field goal percentage this year at 33%.

Men’s Golf

Thomas Bass is the only senior on this year’s men’s golf team, and also one of the most important members. After earning Second-Team All-CAA his sophomore year, Bass tied for fourth at the CAA championships last year while also owning a team-leading 11 rounds of par or better. Bass has continued his streak of success this year, including a first-place finish at the Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic during the fall season.

Women’s Soccer

Stephanie Rose leaves quite a legacy at UNCW. Rose ends her career this year, finishing first in assists, second in points, and third in goals in program history. Rose also earned All-CAA honors each one of her seasons on the team, taking Second-Team honors her freshman year, Third-Team her sophomore and junior year, and First-Team this year. Jen Ludemann has also fashioned a stellar career on the backline for the soccer team, starting a possible 80 out of 81 games for the team. Lindsay Henry graduates with two All-CAA distinctions to her name, earning First-Team her junior year while taking Third-Team this season. Kim Currie has also made a name for herself on the Seahawks in her two years since transferring from UNC Chapel Hill. She earned Second-Team All-CAA honors this season. Finally, goalkeeper Caitlin Hunter has played an integral part in the Seahawks success this season, finishing with a .92 goals against average and Second-Team All-CAA honors. All of these players played key roles in leading the team to the conference title game this season.

Men’s Soccer

Thomas Driver concludes his UNCW career ranking eighth in program history with 40 shots on goal, highlighted by his game-winner against Towson this season as UNCW clinched a CAA tournament berth. Etienne Boulanger has started 54 out of a possible 55 games for the Seahawks the past three seasons, finishing fourth all-time at UNCW with 5,980 minutes played.

Softball

Lauryn Buckworth led the Seahawks in batting average her sophomore and junior seasons and has continued that trend this year with a .330 average, leading the team to a rebounding season.

Swimming & Diving

Carly Tanner became only the second UNCW swimmer ever to qualify for the NCAA Championships during her senior season. She did this by becoming a CAA champion in the 50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle, and 100 Breaststroke. Tanner holds the school record in the 50 Free and 100 Breaststroke, as well as the pool record in the 50 Free.

Men’s Tennis

Chris Cooprider and Kosta Blank team-up to form the Seahawks No. 1 doubles team, owning a 9-3 record this season while also being ranked 20^th nationally. Cooprider also owns a 17-3 singles record this year at the No. 2 spot and a 51-21 career mark, while Blank sports a 13-4 solo record at multiple seeds this year.

Women’s Tennis

Christina Riley competed as the only senior on this year’s women’s tennis team. She currently holds career marks of 41-32 in individual play, and 12-10 in doubles.

Track & Field

David Lindsay became the CAA champion in 110 Hurdles last year, earning All-CAA honors in the 100 meters and 4×100 relay in the process. He also competed at NCAA Regionals his sophomore and junior years. Kyle Barbour garnered All-CAA honors in the hammer throw with a third place finish at the CAA Championships his junior year.

Volleyball

Jennifer Mallard was one of only two players to play in all 31 matches, finishing second on the team and fifth in the CAA in service aces per sets (0.32). Natalie Lahaie ended her senior season ranked second on the team and 10^th in the CAA in assists per frame (5.97).

As each of these seniors graduate, it leaves a void of production for the next wave of seniors and incoming freshmen to help replace on their respective sports teams. Only time can will tell if the transition from one class to another will help the programs. However, no one can deny these seniors’ accomplishments during the 2012-2013 year.